Quentin Tarantino is now on the international leg of his book tour for “Cinema Speculation,” the director’s first work of film criticism. And the tour also now serves as a way for the press to, well, press Tarantino about his upcoming tenth and final film, “The Movie Critic.” With its late-1970s LA setting, many believed the titular main character could be based on Pauline Kael, the lauded long-time critic for The New Yorker who had a brief stint working in Hollywood. But Tarantino denied that rumor last month in France.
So who is this movie critic in the upcoming film if it isn’t Kael? Gunow has the scoop on that, as Tarantino opened up a little about his final movie’s main character while on tour in Barcelona. “There is a lot of speculation as to who it is based on,” said the director. “And yes, he is a real critic, but he is not known …and I am not going to tell you more.” After some laughter, Tarantino tacked on this about “The Movie Critic,” too: “it will also not be what you might call a “revenge story.”
Not a revenge story? That would make “The Movie Critic” the first film of Tarantino’s without that thematic motivation since 1997’s “Jackie Brown.” That’s good news for those who’ve wanted to see something different from QT for decades. But the “real but unknown male critic” may be Tarantino’s more enticing tease in this tidbit. Is unknown in regards to the critic’s fame relative to the stature of someone like Kael? Or is he a true underground critic, someone infatuated with movies but who doesn’t work in the print industry whatsoever?
In that case, the options for influence may be endless. But World Of Reel thinks Tarantino may channel the ’70s film critic and porn historian William Mangold for the upcoming movie. Their evidence? Tarantino’s has been writing under the pseudonym of Jim Sheldon on the website of the New Beverly Cinema for a while now, with his pen name writing for the Hollywood Press, a real ’70s porn magazine that featured criticism on mainstream films. On top of that, QT mentions Mangold in the chapter on Paul Schrader‘s “Hardcore” in “Cinema Speculation. Tarantino has also mentioned Mangold by name in some media appearances recently, so a connection could be likely. But that’s all speculation at this point.
It’s not a lot to go on, but it’s further confirmation that “The Movie Critic” is a real project of Tarantino’s and that he’s telling the truth about Kael not being an inspiration. But given QT’s penchant for teasing the media, expect him to drop a couple of other nuggets about his final film before it heads into production later this year. “Cinema Speculation” is available now.